Issue #2: October 2025
Read the Chinese version here.
Upcoming Events:
November is Gratitude Month. The school hosts events and activities to help students appreciate the beauty of gratitude.
November 7, 2025: Fall Parent-Teacher Conference
Early Dismissal at 1:30pm.
November 11, 2025: Veterans Day
School Closed.
November 13, 2025: Parents Club Meeting
Fa Yuan Bookstore, 22 Orchard Street, Middletown, 2nd Floor at 7pm.
Parenting Skills Q&A in Parenting 101 Support facilitated by Dr. Jane Anderson.
November 21, 2025: Poetry Competition
November 24-28, 2025: Thanksgiving Break
School Closed.
Virtue of the Month: Listening Well
Our October virtue was Listening Well. This virtue branches off Respect, which was our September virtue. Our 4th and 5th grade students learned that in order to listen well they must be active listeners. This means that when listening to a speaker they should stop moving around and always make eye contact. If what they hear is a sad or painful experience, they can show compassion and kindness by giving someone a pat on the shoulder. Repeating the message back to the person also helps to make sure the message was heard correctly. We discussed that listening to others carefully when they have a request or a problem makes people feel more relaxed and at ease.
We practiced these skills by playing Telephone in the classroom. Playing Red Light, Green Light, and Connecting the Ball, a catching game, outside in the park also helped students learn that team work requires good listening skills. Furthermore, showing genuine care or empathy, when someone needs to talk, makes us all better listeners and helps us to connect more deeply with others. These traits of listening well correlate entirely with the universal principles of Truthfulness–Compassion–Forbearance.
—Virginia Blanco, Gr. 4 & 5 Homeroom Teacher
Children’s Choir
The Little Lotus Academy Children’s Choir is composed of students from second to fifth grade. Teachers from various subjects often incorporate singing into their lessons to inspire students with grace, integrity, and kindness.
In September, our choir sang at two local events: the Moon Festival in Deerpark and the Arts and Culture Festival here in Middletown, where they performed “America the Beautiful” and “Ode to Joy”. The first being conducted by our music teacher, Mr. Reyshin Lee, who teaches weekly music classes for each grade. The latter song was conducted by me and performed by my combined choir class which meets once a week. These students learned this famous and challenging song in just one month. This melody, “Ode to Joy,” was sung in three languages: English, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese. Ludwig van Beethoven wrote this in his later life, in the 1820s, for his magnum opus, “Symphony No. 9.” Through this song, we hope to inspire peace and brotherhood to all around the world.
—Lilian Zhang, Choir Teacher
Our Most Little Lotuses
(Translation from a Chinese song)
Young Dafa disciples' hearts smile like lotus flowers.
They bring their palms together to heshi,
And with a sincere heart, they greet their Master!
—Ling Wu, Pre-K Teacher
Kelder’s Farm Field Trip
Our first field trip of the school year was to Kelder’s Farm, located at Kerhonkson, in the fertile soil of the Hudson Valley. The bus set off in the early October morning and headed north for about an hour. The students enjoyed the ride as they recited and sang Dafa poems and songs.
The 200 year old farm boasts over 35 activities perfect for active children of all ages. Upon arrival at the family farm, we headed to the tractor-pulled hayride. Our friendly driver took us down to the apple orchards. As we picked and munched on the apples, the sweet juices dripped and lured in bees. One parent even found an udumbara flower on an apple. In Buddhism, this tiny flower is considered to be sacred and heavenly. After the hayride, some of us went to the giant jumping pillow, while others leaped into the huge corn pit inside the barn. This was like a sand box, but full of corn kernels!
Next was lunch under the farm pavilion. As delicious tuna and ham croissant sandwiches filled their grumbling bellies, students took in the majestic view of the farm against the mountain backdrop and bright blue sky. They also eyed which attraction was next on the list.
The rest of the afternoon was spent in the corn maze, climbing tractors, going down tube and combine slides, playing mini golf, visiting a range of animals, and doing much more. However, the highlight was the Tug of War between teachers and students. Our youngsters proved victorious to the outnumbered teachers.
After a long day of smiles and cheer, we got on the bus, tired and ready for a nap, and headed back to school. The children left with plenty of fond memories of pure fall farm fun.
—Braz Chau, ESL Coordinator
All About Apples
While our apple-picking trip was still fresh in everyone’s mind, the kindergarten and first graders learned about the parts of an apple and the life cycle of an apple tree in science class. To finish up, we made a fun life cycle craft and enjoyed some yummy apple pie made by Ms. Blanco with the apples picked on our trip!
—Charlene Xu, Math & Science Coordinator
English Class in the Fall
The second and third grade English classes were encouraged to experience and write about the fall through their senses of sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell. This class was held at the park. A perfect fall day with plenty of sun, blue skies and a light breeze was enjoyed together with a delicious treat of apple cider donuts. The class recited the “The Pumpkin Poem,” colored pumpkin coloring sheets, and delighted in collecting colorful leaves.
—Elizabeth Chung, English Teacher
Outdoor Meditation
Since the start of the new school year, grades 2 through 5 resumed the weekly outdoor group practice. Every Friday afternoon, the children gather together for half an hour to practice the Falun Gong exercises. Teachers observe the children's movements and promptly correct any inaccuracies. Everyone feels the powerful energy field, and the children practice with exceptional focus. In the golden fall season, the scene of the children quietly practicing amidst the vibrant colors of the foliage is like a mesmerizing painting showcasing the beauty of Falun Dafa.
—Lily Wang, Meditation Coordinator & Chinese Teacher
Parents Club Hike
On the afternoon of October 25th, the Little Lotus Parents Club organized a hiking trip around Highland Lake, Middletown.
It was a late fall weekend, the temperature was perfect, and the sky was partly cloudy. Sunlight occasionally peeked through the clouds, casting strands of light upon the lake, creating a soft shimmer. In such weather, how could the children stay home?
The circuit around the lake is about four miles long. The meeting time was set between 12:30 pm and 1:00 pm, but just after noon, some eager families set off first. The later arrivals hadn't gotten far when they saw the group ahead already on the other side of the lake. Their voices echoed off the water as they shouted across it.
The entire route was a vibrant spectacle of autumn colors: golden, orange, and deep green leaves swayed gently in the wind. The lakeside scenery bathed in the sunlight was like a beautiful painting. Children walked and played, cyclists chased each other along the way, some skipped stones in the lake, while others crouched down to pick up a beautiful maple leaf.
Laughter, footsteps, and the rustling of leaves in the wind blended together to create the most beautiful melody of fall. During the hike, everyone enjoyed not only the scenery, but also companionship and warmth.
The autumn colors are in their prime. May time slow down, giving us more opportunities to walk, explore, and laugh together. Looking forward to our next hike…
—Simon Dong, Parents Club Volunteer Coordinator
Arts and Crafts
This year a Chinese arts and crafts class was added to our curriculum. Over the past two months, students have created various works reflecting the ancient Chinese culture. They designed patterns for blue and white porcelain plates, made panda paper-cut collages, as well as lotus lanterns.
To celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, students used molds to create the beautifully detailed and delicious snow-skin mooncakes. The flavors were matcha, red bean, and custard.
I was very touched by one student’s artwork. Lingxi, a third-grade student, drew from the bottom of her heart and used her especially unique creativity. Her art displayed all the teachers and classmates from her second and third grade homeroom standing around a pond. Lingxi even wrote everyone's names. Holding hands, they looked like “unsullied lotus flowers rising from the mud.” In the pond, pure and beautiful lotuses bloomed, much like our environment at Little Lotus Academy.
—Lily Wang, Chinese Arts & Crafts Teacher
Learning English
As a bilingual school, Little Lotus Academy offers non-native English learners additional tutoring classes to supplement their English learning. Students are given a personalized strategy for mastering phonetics, vocabulary, grammar, and reading comprehension based on their levels. Students learn from passages with questions, and read short stories. They work on special listening activities based on daily topics, and have speaking practice making use of common sentence patterns. The lessons focus on building communication skills through meaningful real-life contexts.
Our ESL group is currently preparing a poem recitation performance to present in next month's Poetry Competition. We invite all families to come and join our school as we celebrate the month of gratitude and Thanksgiving.
—Braz Chau, ESL Coordinator
Little Lotus Academy’s Growing Library — A Readers’ Delight!
Over the past four years, Little Lotus Academy has brought the joy of reading to countless young minds. Through our Readers’ Delight program, children have discovered the beauty of classical stories that nurture kindness, honesty, and imagination. Our students simply can’t get enough of these treasures of timeless wisdom!
Thanks to state funding and generous book donations from parents and friends, our library collection has grown rapidly—so much so that our cozy 192-square-foot space overflowed with boxes of books waiting for new shelves. Seeing the need for expansion, I rolled up my sleeves and began designing and building sturdy pinewood shelves for a brand-new library in what was once our All-Purpose Room.
This project has truly become a labor of love. Teachers volunteered their time sanding and painting; my neighbor Lisa lent her hands and expertise; and our community spirit has shone through every brushstroke.
Now, we’re calling for more helping hands to add the finishing touches this November! Together, we can create a beautiful home for our “little gems” - a place where every child can dream, discover, and delight in the endless world of books.
—Virginia Blanco, English Coordinator
